1,254 brands advertised during college football television broadcasts through Nov. 29, for a total expenditure of $1.1 billion, according to SportsBusiness Journal’s analysis of iSpot.tv data. Nissan, a College Football Playoff sponsor, topped all brands with an estimated spend of $31.7 million. Seven of the top 10 spenders have an official relationship with either the CFP, NCAA or both.
| Brand |
Unique spots (total no. of airings) |
Estimated spend |
| Nissan* |
30 (1,253) |
$31,672,562 |
| AT&T/DirecTV^ |
9 (1,508) |
$29,641,565 |
| Geico |
25 (1,487) |
$26,051,287 |
| Dr Pepper* |
6 (1,658) |
$21,497,892 |
| Verizon |
19 (854) |
$21,069,792 |
| State Farm |
7 (1,306) |
$18,331,340 |
| Taco Bell* |
13 (1,145) |
$17,959,899 |
| Chick-fil-A* |
9 (775) |
$16,674,758 |
| Buick** |
12 (819) |
$16,188,660 |
| Allstate^ |
7 (1,198) |
$16,087,633 |
AT&T and DirecTV’s “Work Thing” spot is the commercial that college football viewers were most likely to see so far this season. Narrated by Kelsey Grammer, the spot shows a man streaming his favorite channels data-free while he begrudgingly attends a social function.
| Brand |
Ad title |
No. of airings |
Estimated spend |
| AT&T/DirecTV^ |
Work Thing |
548 |
$13,174,530 |
| AT&T/DirecTV^ |
You Too |
458 |
$9,574,379 |
| State Farm |
Pep Talk |
367 |
$9,287,525 |
| Cadillac* |
Forward |
351 |
$7,532,644 |
| Allstate^ |
Mayhem: Sports Fan |
505 |
$7,526,878 |
| Taco Bell* |
PlayStation Virtual Reality Box: Player One |
378 |
$6,891,390 |
| Dr Pepper* |
College Football: More Than a Game |
582 |
$6,716,695 |
| Goodyear* |
60 Years of College Football |
204 |
$6,459,764 |
| Aflac |
Bad Golfer |
152 |
$6,344,020 |
| Coors Light |
Whatever Your Mountain |
218 |
$6,105,881 |
